Neeraj Chopra and Arshad Nadeem were expected to face off for the first time since the 2024 Paris Olympics at the upcoming Poland Diamond League. However, that much-anticipated clash may not happen. Arshad recently underwent calf surgery, and his participation is now uncertain.
At the Paris Olympics, Arshad stunned everyone with a throw of 92.97m to win gold, while Neeraj secured silver with a best of 89.45m. The two are also scheduled to compete in Switzerland next month, but Arshad’s coach has said that he may skip both events to focus on recovering fully ahead of the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo this September.
“He had been struggling with a calf issue for a while, so the decision was made to go for surgery. Right now, he’s focused on rehab in London and preparing for the World Championships,” his coach told PTI. He added that Arshad might compete in just one event before the Tokyo showdown.
Meanwhile, Neeraj, who recently crossed the 90m mark, is working on improving his consistency. He revealed that he tends to lean too far on his left side during throws in competition, something he’s now working to correct for more stable performances.
